Independence Day

September 15th is Central American Independence Day, which means parades! I was actually supposed to march in the parade and hold a sign for the Santa Barbara HIV/AIDS Network, but not enough people could do it so I didn’t have to march, which made me happy because the thought of carrying a sign in the hot sun for 5 hours wasn’t that appealing to me. I did, however, watch the parade, which consisted of representatives from the schools of Santa Barbara as well as various other groups.

This is the winner of the India Bonita competition (do you think that would fly in the States?)

The guys on stilts were my favorite! Each student is holding a sign representing a community organization or NGO. The third years (think high school seniors) all had to march with their schools…they look bored, hot and uncomfortable . This group carried representations of Honduran money throughout history. This is a map of Honduras displaying different types of wood produced across the country.

I think the following was the most interesting display done by high school students. The sign translates to The Enclave; arrival of the capitalist system. The banner is followed by a train (itself representing broken promises to Honduras) carrying a dragon with a tattered Honduran flag hanging out of its mouth. The boxcars are labeled Rosario Mining Company and Standard Fruit Company. The caboose is a bed of sugar cane plants being sprayed with fertilizer/pesticides.


The following display spoke of the environmental problems Honduras is currently facing. The sign translates to “A Dangerous Rhythm” Ecological Disasters…The banner is followed by things representing threats to Honduras’s environment such as mining and deforestation. Then comes a representation of the globe, but I’m not sure what the shape is supposed to mean...
PCVs are often disturbed by the amount of trash found all over Honduras, people seem to have no moral qualms whatsoever about littering and don’t seem to care about their country’s environment at all. Therefore it was inspiring for me to see these young students taking a stand. My inspiration was soon squashed when one of the students holding the world threw his water bag on the ground and left it there. As the parade started moving past me I ran out and grabbed the bag and ran after him to tell him that he ¨forgot¨ something. I think he was embarrassed and told me to leave it, but I waited until he took it from me (who knows how long he waited to throw it on the ground again). I got pretty worked up after that and starting ranting to one of my friends who happens to be a teacher about how hypocritical it is to litter while you are in the very process of protesting the destruction of the environment. He explained to me that the students didn’t really care; they were just doing what their teachers told them to do and wanted to get extra credit. I asked him if he would recount the situation to his students on Monday to remind them that actions speak louder than banners.